WORLD RELIGION DAY 2012

Today (the third Sunday in January) is World Religion Day.

Established in 1950 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, World Religion Day has been increasingly taken up in other countries - at first by national and local Bahá'í communities in different parts of the world, although it has also become an event widely recognised and keenly celebrated by people of other faiths too. Its purpose is:

• to bring together people of various faith communities
• to celebrate the unifying power of religion
• to promote inter faith understanding
• to encourage religious leaders and adherents to acknowledge the similarities between their faiths and work together for the common good.

In the United States, 16 January is National Religious Freedom Day, officially proclaimed each year by an annual statement by the President of the United States. I can't say whether it's more than just a happy accident that these two dates are observed so close together, but hopefully, there's a mutual reinforcement of the positive message of the unifying power of religion, that it can illumine hearts and minds with its own positive light.

There's no celebration of World Religion Day in Leicester today - again. I'm sorry to be saying that for the third year in a row. You'd think it'd be just the kind of thing Leicester would take to, wouldn't you, faithful reader? Bit of a no-brainer really - like other anniversaries, events and occasions that we could celebrate each year (but don't) such as Golden Rule Day, Week of Prayer for World Peace or any number of United Nations international days and observances. Even World Interfaith Harmony Week, established in 2010 by King Abdullah of Jordan.

We do manage to get it together for Inter Faith Week (est. 2009) and for Holocaust Memorial Day (est. 2001) of course, which shows what can be done when we put our collective shoulder to the wheel. At the age of 62, World Religion Day is the grand dame of such events. You'd think it would have had sufficient time to establish itself. How come it's so neglected?

I think that, in common with other occasions such as Golden Rule Day (for example) no one feels ownership of World Religion Day. Even though it was established by Bahá'ís, still it hasn't really gained a foothold in the Bahá'í community in the UK. Firstly, it was set up by Bahá'ís in the US and may be seen as more of an American thing. Secondly, perhaps its age is working against it. Maybe it's been around so long that it seems a bit tired now - as if it were trying to fight a battle that's now been won. After all, back in 1950 when World Religion Day was established, inter faith dialogue, encounter and relations was neither  the everyday experience or the major concern that it is today.Thirdly -and, to my understanding, most importantly - it may be considered an extraneous bolt-on, hitching a ride on the Bahá'í calendar without properly being part of it. Bahá'ís are more essentially committed to the goals of World Religion Day than any other faith community (obviously, since they invented it) but maybe, where this occasion has been successful, Bahá'ís may have done too good a job in selling it to other agencies, communities, group or organisations to see it as still being something for which they hold greatest responsibility.

Take Holocaust Memorial Day, for example. While that has deliberately expanded its appeal in relation to other communities, faith-based or not, still it is the Jewish community that drives it forward more than any other. 

Considering how exhausted I felt at the end of Inter Faith Week last year and how long it took me to get over it, maybe I shouldn't be thinking of another event that I can throw myself into, so soon.  All the same: someone or other should get their act together for this event when it rolls round again next year. It's an open goal, isn't it? Custom-made for an organisation like ours, you'd think. I'm sure we could reap considerable reward without very much effort.

In the meantime, I wouldn't World Religion Day 2012  to pass unmarked, so here it is in the blog – again (although admittedly it’s a poor show that it should be a case of all words, no action – again).

There’s a good collection of tweets about World Religion Day, many of which show what's happening in other places around the world. Just search #worldreligionday. There's some very good stuff out there, including information about ways of celebrating World Religion Day that could easily be adapted here.

INTER FAITH WEEK, DAY 4: JAINISM 101

At 1500 we have the sixth of ten public meetings scheduled for Inter Faith Week, under the series title, "Communities of Faith or Belief in Leicester". We're putting on two talks per day in the Adult Education College (or, more precisely, in the Leicester People's Photographic Gallery which is attached to the Adult Education College).

The speaker for this Beginners' Guide to Jainism - or Jainism 101 - is Mehta Pradip, Vice-President of Jain Samaj Europe.

There are no takers today, so Mehta and I sit together for half an hour or so, chatting usefully about the Council of Faiths, Inter Faith Week and the place of the Jain Centre and community in both.

The photo above is one of two Jain images included in the Favourite Faiths Photo exhibition launched this week at the People's Photographic Gallery. The picture shows worshippers in the Jain Centre, Oxford Street, with the Centre's staned glass windows on show. This is believed to be the only Jain place of worship in the world featuring this short of display, which blends something of the previous use of the building with its current purpose.

OUR COMMON HUMANITY CAN UNIFY OUR CITY

Our letter published in the Leicester Mercury (Mon 2 Aug) has elicited an interesting response from Dr Allan Hayes, Secular Huamnist Chaplain to the Lord Mayor and President of the Leicester Secular Society. This is published as the "First Person" column in today's paper, quoted in full below:

Our common humanity can unify our city

Humanist Allan Hayes looks at an area of hope – and where improvement is needed

Last Saturday I received a blessing from an Anglican priest in an Anglo-Catholic service; I sang those of the hymns that I knew from my choirboy days; I shook hands with those around me as we exchanged greetings of "peace be with you"; I enjoyed food and wine, music, meeting friends, and speeches; I was moved by the exchange of vows (it was a wedding).

On Sunday I took part in a Hindu festival. Along with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, I helped pull a chariot from Humberstone Gate to a local park, where I enjoyed more hospitality and friendship, an explanation of the religion – and more food.

These were significant religious events, but I have no belief in the supernatural basis of the religions, so how could I take part? I might reply that I was at the second event as chaplain to the Lord Mayor and at the first as a friend, but there is more: as a humanist I start from a regard for humanity. The offering and receiving of goodwill is important, and religions are important to me because they are important to people. We do not need to share beliefs to share humanity, but we must certainly share humanity – we must get on together.

How can the sharing of humanity be encouraged? Mutual recognition is surely needed, and, here I have to say that we are still lacking. Councillor Sood has referred to the good work that the Council of Faiths has been doing in bringing religions together. She describes it as "fostering a climate of respect in which debate can flourish among those who are able to speak – and to listen – on behalf of their communities. Members of the Council of Faiths... respect and learn from each other's beliefs, cultures, practices and traditions. We try to find ways for all to move forward together and we aim to uphold the rights and dignity of all".

This is certainly valuable work, but those who are not in the principal religions need recognition too. An opportunity for this will come in November with the third [sic] National Interfaith Week. If humanists and secularists are to take part as they did last year then they must be more fully provided for – we had no representation or display facilities at the main public and civic events. I look forward to a reply from the Council of Faiths, which seems to have played a major part in setting things up last year.

We also need an event that brings us together as One Leicester. A celebration of the city for all to enjoy on the occasion of the election of the Lord Mayor would be a splendid combination of tradition, achievement and vision for the future – we should start planning it now.